Carlsson, FredrikYang, Xiaojun2013-07-312013-07-312013-061403-2465http://hdl.handle.net/2077/33591JEL classification: C91; C92; C93; D10We examine whether and to what extent joint choices are more or less patient and time-consistent than individual choices in households. We use data from an artefactual field experiment where both individual and joint time preferences were elicited. We find a substantial shift from individual to joint household decisions. Interestingly, joint decisions do not only generate beneficial shifts, i.e., patient and time-consistent shifts. On the contrary, a majority of the observed shifts are impatient and time-inconsistent shifts. A number of observable characteristics are significantly correlated with these shifts in preferences from individual decisions to joint decisions.28 pagesengindividual decisionsjoint decisionspatiencetime-consistencychoice shiftsrural ChinaText